Zero-turn mowers are often utilized when mowing grass due to the extremely small turn radius enabled by the free and independent rotation of the front wheels. However, difficulties arise when a typical zero-turn mower is operated on a hillside. Using a zero-turn mower to mow horizontally on a hillside can be difficult and dangerous. The front wheels on a zero-turn mower rotate freely and cannot be directionally controlled. When a zero-turn mower is on a slope, the weight of the zero-turn mower causes the front wheels to turn toward the direction of the downward slope. If the zero-turn mower orients itself toward the bottom of the slope, a user may lose control until the zero-turn mower reaches the bottom of the slope. In extreme cases, the zero-turn mower may tip over and land on or roll over a user, potentially causing serious injury. Currently, it is difficult to maintain control of a zero-turn mower while riding on sloped terrain. Accordingly, a safe and efficient mechanism that allows users to selectively control the direction of the front wheels of a zero-turn riding lawn mower desired.
Devices exist in the known art that improve mower safety. These devices, however, have many drawbacks. There exists mowers that allow the user to control the direction of the front wheels, but these mowers do not also provide a means for allowing the front wheels to move freely when desired. This eliminates the main advantage of the zero-turn mower, which is to have a nearly zero-turning radius. Likewise, existing mowers with front wheels that turn freely to any direction do not include a means for selectively controlling the front wheels, which can cause difficulties when using the mower on a hillside or otherwise sloped terrain.
In light of the devices disclosed in the known art, it is submitted that the present invention substantially diverges in design elements from the known art and consequently it is clear that there is a need in the art for an improvement to existing zero-turn mowers. In this regard the instant invention substantially fulfills these needs.